The present invention relates to a panel installation apparatus and method for installing panels on a surface and, more particularly, to an apparatus and method cooperable with an aerial work platform of a lift vehicle for installation of such panels.
The use of composite roof and wall cladding panels in the construction of buildings has become more popular due to considerable benefits in terms of appearance, weather resistance, fire resistance and sound reduction. Additionally, such panels typically have very good heat insulating properties. Installation and replacement of the cladding panels, however, can be a difficult operation due particularly to the size and weight of the panels, which makes handling by workmen difficult and strenuous. The problem is exacerbated when the building size requires that the cladding panels are installed from an elevated position.
The current process is labor intensive, where an installation team has to lift heavy panels (subject to increasingly demanding health and labor regulations). In addition, when installing horizontal cladding, for example, special attention must be paid to the seal on the horizontal joint surfaces. Damage to this seal can result in leakage of both water and air between the panels. A damaged seal or more general joint area can result in a building construction being rejected on the basis of unacceptable heat escape or low quality appearance. Cladding devices on the market today can damage this seal when the panel is rotated into a vertical orientation about its lower edge. In addition, seal damage can occur if the panel needs to be slid horizontally (to achieve proper alignment) across a previously installed panel.
Construction sites often employ construction equipment for lifting large and heavy components such as the cladding panels into position for installation onto the building. An aerial lift or a boom lift including an aerial work platform may be employed that includes auxiliary material handling equipment secured to the platform for maneuvering the building materials into a location. Such an operation, however, is complicated by the fact that it is difficult to achieve an optimal height of the work platform due to difficulties in operation and fine position control. A similar situation therefore arises in which a number of workmen must support a hanging cladding panel or other construction material at some distance and height from the wall or platform safety barrier and then lift and move the material from this hanging position for installation into a final position. This methodology is strenuous on the workmen and can lead to an unsafe construction site.
Moreover, with an aerial work platform, problems may arise when working on the face of a building, especially when an aerial lift is fully extended, due to the tendency of the work platform to move by small amounts relative to any fixed structure adjacent the lift. Such a problem may occur when an operator in the lift is working against the structure, for example when drilling into the wall or cladding on a building or when placing or pushing heavy cladding panels into location.